Thinking about the Mandolin

[Ladyehawk]

I'm currently taking guitar lessons and it's coming along nicely, but I've recently become interested in learning the mandolin as well. Is it similar to the guitar ?

I asked someone in Guitar Center and they said it more like the violin?

If I were to learn both at the same time would learning one help learning the other?

Thanks !

[rsmillbern]

I personally think that playing different instruments enhances the sound and can help when if you get into a rut.
That being said, I am currently learning a few songs on the guitar, mandolin and banjo... Sometimes my brain shuts off and I will blotch the fingering due to thinking about the other instrument. :-)

I would not say (personally) that it is similar to the guitar, the tuning if different, so chords and notes are in different places. Some right/left hand technique can be transferred for sure, with some difference.

So... I've not helped at all I see, but I'd encourage you to give it go and see how it feels!

[Kalasinar]

I doubt it would do you any harm to pick up mandolin. I don't play guitar so I don't know what skills would translate well, but I bought and set up a mandolin for a friend who is also learning guitar. She actually plays mandolin more intuitively than me! (I come from a background of drumming so mandolin is my first fretted instrument)

I think with most things in our lives we automatically transfer and adapt learnt skills to new tasks/challenges where appropriate. I've recently taken up the bodhrán and as bizarre as it sounds, my experience playing jigs on the mandolin has helped me a huge deal.

It is closer to the violin than guitar - and aside from the tuning, I think the most important similarity is the position of the fretting hand. It is extremely important to get that position correct to avoid bad technique and unnecessary discomfort.

[Michael Neverisky]

Good insight from your Guitar Center associate! Kalasinar makes a most important point about the fretting hand. I have been playing the guitar for over 40 years, starting as a child and the most painful, literally painful, mistake I made when picking up the mandolin last year was approaching the fingerboard as I would that of a guitar. The issue may have been made worse by my conservatory training in classical guitar technique, which is absolutely wrong for the mandolin.

You can find a short video by Mike Marshall on YouTube about the fretting ( left in his case) hand.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hey, why not? Seems like a good idea. It'll make your music brain more flexible.

Remember that mandos are held very differently than guitars. Here's that Mike Marshall video that Frosty mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmagoBQunZI

It's essential.

If your mandolin doesn't have the point he mentions (A-styles don't) or if you play standing up, pull the strap up high enough to give yourself the same effect. They're worn higher than guitar straps. (Mandos are useless for the Keith Richards look!)

I'll be getting that nut adjustment he recommends soon for my new mando.

Welcome to the fretful life!

[gtani7]

I think over time, your fretting hand gets stronger from playing mandolin than guitar (unless you're playing 12 string guitar) and I can't see any disadvantages playing both if you practice both regularly. You can't switch instruments instantly like you see some bluegrass people do on stage til you really get chops on both.

A great resource is Don Julin's Dummies book, it's in my public library and discusses mandolin body styles, playing bluegrass, classical and other genres, how to buy, tune and practice, accessories and lots of song tabs. There's also lots of threads on what/how to buy your first mandolin, search for "Best $700 mandolin" or whatever price point, that'll be a good used $400 mandolin: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?61532-Good-Mandolins-for-under-700

and https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?128081-Mandolin-Recommendation-for-under-700

[Paul Busman]

Go for it! Once you get a bit of a feel for the mandolin, you'll probably be able to go back and forth between mandolin and guitar pretty easily.
Once you learn mandolin fingering, you'll automatically know fiddle,octave mandolin, tenor banjo and tenor guitar fingering (apart from scale length). That'll open up a whole new range of instrument addictions :grin:

[UsuallyPickin]

Yes .... No ..... They are both plectrum , played with a pick usually, instruments... they are fretted. After that the similarities in the instruments start to disappear...... technique, hand positions, dual courses, short scale, tuned in fifths. However .... learning instruments concurrently can cross pollinate ideas nicely. Just be prepared to spend time and money on the process as both will be required. Luck... R/

[CES]

Go for it! I play guitar, mando, banjo, bass, and recently acquired a uke and a mandocello. I like the variety, and don't feel that any of the others "hurt" my guitar playing, other than maybe taking away some practice time...

That said, I play for fun and once a month or so in church, so not trying to become Clapton. If that's your goal, you'll need to seriously woodshed...

[CarlM]

If you are solid on guitar and have been playing a while then it is a very good idea. Mandolin is laid out more logically than a guitar and it is easier to focus on hearing melody and ear training. Some of the pick technique can carry over and it helps loosen up the right hand.

If you only have a little time to play and are just starting out then it is better to focus on one or the other. It is still worth trying because you may find out you like it better. But if you have only been playing a short while and play a few minutes a day or less then it is better to pick one and learn it more thoroughly.

[allenhopkins]

1. Tuning-wise, the mandolin's exactly like the violin. In all other respects, much more like guitar, in terms of picking, fretting, and general approach to chords and melody.

2. I'm going to express a slight dissent to the overall "go for it" approach advocated above. I started out on five-string banjo (chorus of "boo," "hiss"), went to guitar, then mandolin, over about seven years. It makes some sense to get one instrument firmly established, before taking on another. I never (almost never) try to make a banjo chord on the mandolin, but the tunings are different, the picking technique somewhat different as well. It helps to have one instrument well understood and easily played, before attempting a similar but non-identical instrument. Confusion avoided, at least to some extent.

3. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't explore both, and see if one's more "up your alley" than the other. But I found, in learning several stringed instruments, that it was nice not to have too much uncertainty about chords or picking techniques on the first one I learned, before going on to the second, third, etc.

[Bertram Henze]

If you turn into a mandolin by day, who will turn into a guitar by night? They can never meet until you break the spell and just try playing them all... ;)

[Michael Neverisky]

The guitar is not necessarily a plectrum instrument, many people play "fingerstyle", so using a flatpick on a mandolin might be another difference.

Another word of caution: you may find the mandolin so beguiling that you forsake your guitar altogether! 8-)

[jesserules]

And here's Mike Marshall on switching instruments -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS8vpnce9fQ

[Ladyehawk]

Thanks everyone.

I have this urge to try the mandolin. I'm not solid on the guitar yet. I'm still learning my first song, but their is an urgency in me to pick up the mandolin. I guess it's my medieval family roots nudging me......maybe I'll pick up one for $200-$250 and see where it takes me before investing more in a better one. I love the sound of it and the sound of calls to me on a soul level if that makes sense.

I'll view lessons on youtube and read on how to play before I make a decision.

Thanks again for the advice and encouragement ! I'll let you know how it goes if I decide to pick up the mandolin.

[sbhikes]

I took guitar lessons when I was in 4th grade. I didn't like guitar very much because it was all strumming and singing love songs. I quit the lessons and taught myself how to pick a few melodies, but it was really hard to do, in my opinion. The notes I needed for the melody always seemed out of reach. Decades later I started playing the mandolin as a lark because someone offered a mandolin in a trade for a flute that I had. I LOVED the mandolin. It's tuned in 5ths which to me seems more logical and intuitive. Picking out melodies is so much easier to do. Add in some double-stops and you have chords and a melody and you don't have to sing to make it sound like a full piece of music! I LOVE the size of the instrument. It's not this gigantic thing, it's small and fits my body and my hand so much better. It's easy to cart around on my scooter. I like the sound. It always sounded pretty even making mistakes. Unlike other instruments I've played I wasn't banished or forbidden to play when others were home. Finally, I've busked on the street with it, playing with a guitar and a fiddle player, and nobody cares about the guitar player. They're a dime a dozen. Everybody wants to know what the mandolin is. It's amazing how few people know what a mandolin is. Playing something interesting seems to get more money tossed in the case.

[DavidKOS]

I'm currently taking guitar lessons and it's coming along nicely, but I've recently become interested in learning the mandolin as well. Is it similar to the guitar ?

I asked someone in Guitar Center and they said it more like the violin?

If I were to learn both at the same time would learning one help learning the other?

Thanks !

I'm answering this blind, so other posts may include similar info.

I have played both instruments since the early 1970's, and have taught both instruments and played both professionally.

When I mention fingerings and such I am referring to the classical method or to the best practice of the top jazz players...and of course folk and Bluegrass players of the highest standards.

Q - Is it similar to the guitar ?

A - Yes in that they both are fretted stringed instruments and share many traditional music styles, from Italian to Bluegrass to whatever.

They are tuned differently, and the size is so unlike that the fingering patterns are different. Cello fingerings are somewhat more similar to guitar fingerings.

Q - I asked someone in Guitar Center and they said it more like the violin?

A - In terms of fingerings, the mandolin and violin are tuned the same and sahre many more fingerings than mandolin and guitar do.

BUT

The violin is played with a bow, and has no frets. The fact that it is fretless makes the guitar more "like" the mandolin in that they are fretted instruments, along with the 'ukulele, most electric basses, the bouzouki, balalaika, etc.

Frets and no frets is a BIG difference. However, a mandolin can play any violin literature, of course depending on the number of frets you have on the neck! (that's an issue for later in your career on either instrument.)

Frankly, that's what the similarity is, The tuning and ability to play the same notes, and similar finger spacing and usage. Otherwise, they are apples and oranges.

Q - If I were to learn both at the same time would learning one help learning the other?

A - Perhaps. However, as a beginner, pick ONE, get decent enough on that instrument and then learn the other. Until you are competent on ONE instrument, wait on the second.

Or third, or fourth - you have to learn some basics that apply to ALL music first, so stay with guitar until you can play some chords accurately and in time, can tune your guitar, and can play some melody lines.

Of course, I am in favor of learning to read staff notation sheet music, not just TAB, too.

Final point - what sort of music do you want to play?

That will affect the learning process in many ways, so be honest with yourself and any teachers you may have.

Take care, and enjoy the ride.

[DavidKOS]

I have this urge to try the mandolin. I'm not solid on the guitar yet. I'm still learning my first song, but there is an urgency in me to pick up the mandolin. I guess it's my medieval family roots nudging me.

OK, a few additional comments.

Get solid on guitar first, even if you are not sold on it.

You need to learn the musical skills.

There's lots of Medieval music that can be played on guitar, and the modern mandolin is no more period an instrument than the guitar.

OR

give up the guitar and move to mandolin, and take up guitar when you are "sold" on it.

But pick one and stick with it until you are solid.

[des]

There is another aspect to this altogether - the kind of music you want to play. This is only partly about the genre of music - it also has very much to do with the role you want your instrument to take on - lead or accompanist, up front or at the back.

The guitar is a wonderful instrument to accompany the human voice and indeed other instruments. That's far from impossible with mandolin but it doesn't come so easy. When it comes to taking the lead in playing melodies, in carrying the tune, the situation is reversed - the mandolin revels in it while with the guitar it's bit of a struggle.

There are plenty of exceptions to this - most notably in bluegrass where the mandolin spends a lot of time as a semi-percussive accompaniment - and sure you'll see plenty of mandolin guitar duos where lead and comping are traded.

The guitar - like the piano - can accompany itself - so can the mandolin - but the players who can do that on mando are exceptional.

I'm talking specifically about acoustic guitar - which raises another point. Include electrics as well as acoustics and the guitar is incredibly versatile - from Jimi Hendrix to Wes Montgomery to Chet Atkins to Django Reinhardt to Tony Rice to Charley Bird to Paco Pena to Segovia. The tuning is the same but those guys might as well be playing different instruments their techniques and sounds are so varied.

By the way this isn't meant as advice to play guitar rather than mandolin although it probably goes a long way to explain the guitar's popularity.

[fatt-dad]

learn them both and you'll have all the callouses you'll ever need!

I play both. I use nothing from guitar when playing mandolin, well other than the callouses! I also fingerpick on the guitar and flatpick on the mandolin. In my case the repertoire is completely different too!

Please though, recall that mandolin are more expensive. So, you don't want to get a $100 dollar mandolin to go with your $200 guitar. It's more like you need a $400 dollar mandolin to go with your $200 dollar guitar!

f-d

[NursingDaBlues]

OK, a few additional comments.

Get solid on guitar first, even if you are not sold on it.

You need to learn the musical skills.

There's lots of Medieval music that can be played on guitar, and the modern mandolin is no more period an instrument than the guitar.

OR

give up the guitar and move to mandolin, and take up guitar when you are "sold" on it.

But pick one and stick with it until you are solid.

Totally agree!